


Let it Burn

by ultrastimpaks



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3
Genre: Gen, I'm back on my charon & lw bs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:26:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultrastimpaks/pseuds/ultrastimpaks
Summary: The Lone Wanderer received Charon's contract from Ahzrukhal.What initially seemed like a regular contract, proved itself to be an uncomfortable situation the Lone Wanderer wants to desperatedly get rid of.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Let it Burn

_December, 2277_

When Robert receives Charon’s contract, he doesn’t know what to do. He thinks Ahzrukhal isn’t _serious_ , that the faded words on the equally faded paper mean nothing to the tall ghoul and he’s being kept as The Ninth Circle’s bouncer and Ahzrukhal’s bodyguard by payment. His thoughts can’t be processed for much longer, as Charon pulls a gun to his previous contract holder not even five minutes after the deal is settled.

The scene still plays in Robert’s mind when he closes his eyes.

It’s been a week since Charon joined Robert and Dogmeat in the Wasteland. At first, the lone wanderer didn’t mind having a ghoul watching his back the whole time. Charon was a good shot and a quick thinker, and that trait had saved them a couple of times by now. However, Robert couldn’t _not_ notice how weird it felt to have that piece of faded contract. It weights on his bag; Charon does everything Robert asks him to, and at one point he wonders what is up with that. 

Those two weeks are the weirdest to him. The whole trip to the Underworld, as well as his staying there has been a lot to digest. In hindsight, running an errand to Ahzrukhal that resulted in him receiving a work contract for someone who hadn’t been asked an opinion on the matter, seemed very _wrong_.

Robert and Charon are sitting on a table in the corner of the Ninth Circle, Dogmeat laying down next to Robert’s feet. They look disheveled and sport fresh wounds neither seemed to care about enough. It’s been a full day of scavenging in the museum next door - Robert didn’t think they would run into so many hostile Supermutants -, but not even that managed to get the boy’s mind out of the situation before him. A moody, 6’8” situation. 

Robert holds the faded contract with sweaty hands. Nothing about it seems off, no matter how many times he analyses it; he holds it against the low light of the Ninth Circle, smells it, even sprinkles some water on the paper in the hopes something magical will happen. Nothing.

“So you’re telling me _this_ …” he starts from his side of the table, not peeling his eyes off the yellow toned paper “means you’re ‘bout to work for _me_ … forever?”

Charon hums from his side, eyes staring at Robert without blinking. It doesn’t seem right that a simple piece of paper would hold so much power over someone, and it doesn’t help the situation that Robert’s mind goes through all the comic book scenarios to explain the situation at hand.

“This- this feels _weird_ , man” Robert releases the contract on top of the table, sliding down on his chair and running a hand over his buzz cut, clearly frustrated “I can’t have you with me like this. You don’t say _no_ to a damn thing I do! Can you hold your own contract? Be your own man and shit?”

“No.”

“Well have you _tried_ it?”

Silence.

“Ugh!” Bobby throws his head back “how did you end up in a situation like this?”

Silence.

“You know what? I’m _hungry_ ” Robert adjusts himself on the chair, frustration clearly rising. He eyes the options from his seat as best as he can from over the counter. “Do you wanna have somethin’, Charon?”

“Do you want me to have something?”

The question knocked the air out of Robert’s lungs. The boy looks over at him like Charon said the most absurd thing he could have come up with. That’s when Robert notices something is _off_. He shouldn’t have accepted Ahzrukhal’s contract in the first place. 

“Uh- I don’t-”

“Then I don’t want to have anything if you don’t want me to.”

Robert sighs, turning his full attention to Charon “We can’t travel like this, okay? I’m not gonna have you follow me like it’s your duty and I’m your owner. That’s just fucked up” Bobby leans over the table, one hand reaching for a lighter he keeps on his pocket. He lights it, watching as the fire makes contact with the tip of the contract he’s now holding with his other hand. A weird, low whistle sound comes from the paper and a light blue flame starts engulfing it. Charon stares at the boy’s reaction but doesn’t show any kind of reaction himself.

“If we’re gonna travel together, then you gotta want it” Charon’s eyes lock with his own “I’m not like Ahzrukhal and whoever held your contract before. Whatever people did to you is _wrong_. I’m not taking part in that, and I’m sorry if I made you believe I would.”

They both watch as the flames eat the rest of the paper, and when they do Robert stands up, picks Bessie up from the side of the table and that makes Dogmeat promptly stand up too. The stress and tiredness of the day weights down on him, and he drags himself towards the door. Differently from all the other times, Charon doesn’t promptly stand up.

“Now you’re free, I guess. Not sure if that’s what you wanted, but I guess if it wasn’t you would’ve shot me like you did to that sick son of a bitch. See you around, big guy.”

Robert closes the door behind him, and the more steps he takes towards Underworld’s main entrance, the more relieved he feels. He managed to get out of a situation he didn’t initially comprehend, and maybe he never will. The more time passed, the less he bought Ahzrukhal’s speech about Charon not being a slave. If that contract wasn’t slavery, Robert didn’t know what it was.

As he finishes going down the staircase and reaches the statue that stood in the middle of the big hall, he hears a loud bang noise coming from Ninth’s Circle door. Turning around, he sees Charon coming towards him. He’s frozen in place, not sure what to expect from the ghoul. He’s more fearful his obvious tactic of burning down the contract didn’t work, than that Charon may shoot him right on the face.

“You did something for me no one else did. You have good intentions, kid” Charon said simply, no emotion in his voice. “I shall follow your lead”

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this on tumblr, but it was super unpolished.  
> I don't think it's much better now hahaha but it certainly has some details I felt like adding.  
> Also I want to write key situations that happened in Bobby's life. Maybe that'll do.
> 
> Anyway, any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my oc :-)


End file.
